Duels
by spikeobsessed
Summary: Spike returns from Africa with the only the chip removed and an internal battle rages. Meanwhile, an old friend of his drops by and tears Buffy's world even further apart.
1. Now be a good boy and run along

Under the ethereal glow of the beautiful full moon hanging overhead between the glittering stars, the little town of Sunnydale looked perfect. The endless rows of neatly lined up houses were illuminated by the hundreds of streetlights employed to keep them safe in the dark, and the streets were relatively free of anyone who looked as though they were out to cause trouble. Well, that was how it looked to someone who knew nothing of the town or the activities which occured within it's boundries. To Gabriel, it looked like the mask that it was. For he knew that Sunnydale wasn't the perfect little suburban town every estate agent in the country made it out to be, and he knew, even from where he was stood on the hilltop overlooking it, that those people hanging around weren't actually people at all. They were vampires and they were out looking for a meal. A meal which seemed as though it was going to consist of that pretty blond walking in their direction. Gabriel didn't bother watching the outcome, he knew what would happen. They would surround her, drink her blood, and leave her corpse in some alleyway somewhere for a poor homeless person to discover. He knew because it was what he did every night. After a sinlge backwards glance in the direction of the pure white orb in the midnight sky, he began to make his way down the hill towards the town which boasted it's own Hellmouth. He had a task to do, and this was the only place he could get it done. So, after a weeks travelling across from Ireland, he was here. Ready to wreak havoc on the unsuspecting people of this suburban hell and anyone who got in his way.  
  
The dark was the only place he really felt safe these days. When he was enveloped in perfect blackness, that was where he could think, feel and be without having to fear what anyone thought of him. That was where he was now. The only thing Spike was still aware of was the feel of the cold metallic surface of the bar against his skin. After his third drink of whiskey, he had simply had enough of the glares he was receiving from the demons who at one time would have trembled in his presence, and laid his head down before slowly closing his eyes. There was no one to stare at him here. He had arrived back in town the previous night, just before dawn, and gone straight to bed, against his friend Clem's wishes. The gentle demon had wanted to hear of all his adventures during his time away, only being supplied with the information that he had been to Africa before Spike pursuaded him to leave so he could get some much needed rest. So now here he was, back in his own little safehouse which he had come to more out of habit than anything else. He hated that. Habit was a thing he absolutely despised, it made one predictable and boring, something he had been desperate to get away from all his life. So why didn't he just leave? Because he was in the darkness now. The kind you could only find when you closed your eyes at night before you went to sleep free of worry. Suddenly, his perfect serenity was shattered by the sound of someone sitting next to him on one of the old bar-stools in Willie's Bar and laying their head close to his. "Bugger off." he groused before they had a chance to speak. He was not going to stand for any cheap shots at his pride that night. Anyone made a comment he didn't like and they were as good as dead. "When did you get back?" The owner of the voice's identity took a second to come to Spike in his intoxicated state, but when it did, his blue eyes opened and he sighed. Buffy.  
  
A tiny smile appeared on Spike's lips as he slowly pulled himself upright, an action that was doubled by the Slayer. This was the reason he had come back. For her. Memories of his love for her swam through his mind, and it took all his determination to shake them away and answer her. "Last night," he informed her, retrieving a cigarette from his duster pocket before lighting it and taking a long drag. As she didn't offer any reply, he continued. "Just went away for a while," Spike said uneasily. He didn't cope all that well with silence. Unless he was the one in charge, he favoured conversations which were, well, two sided. "Got my head straight and all that." Buffy nodded mutely, and the vampire had time to notice how drawn she looked, how tired. Something was definitey wrong. "It's Willow." She told him in a strained voice which told him she was struggling not to cry. This wasn't what a Slayer was. A Slayer was strong, capable and confident. Not ready to cry on a vampire's shoulder at the slightest hint of trouble concerning a friend. "Tara got shot. She's dead." Spike frowned. He hadn't exactly been fond of the stammering witch, but then again he hadn't exactly hated her either. Tara had been one of those people who were happy to dwell in the background. "It was Warren." He straightened his back at the mention of that little rat's name. The only useful thing he had ever done was to check if the chip was still working, and even then he had been irritating as hell. "So Warren's a murderer now?" Spike said, thinking out loud. "Was," Buffy corrected him, tears brimming in her eyes even before she had uttered the next sentence to him. "Willow killed him." So Willow was apparenty the new Big Bad in town. Interesting. Funny what could happen when you go away for a bit. Oh well, he'd have time to catch up. In the meantime, there were things he had to attend to. Things he definitely wasn't going to tell Clem about. Things which started with getting out of Willie's delapidated bar and into the real world.Things which ended with the Slayer.  
  
Gabriel had never been to Sunnydale before, but it wasn't too hard to find his way around. Not after he had mentioned who he was looking for, anyway. It seemed everyone knew his target, but everyone seemed to hate him too. So he hadn't changed, then. His search led him to an underground demon bar. The air stank of stale beer as he sauntered inside through the heavy double doors which were in desperate need of another coat of the hideous red paint it was slathered in. A few heads turned at his arrival, teamed with a small amount of whispers, but not that many demons were sober enough to care whether a newcomer had turned up or not. He made straight for the bar, weaving through a group of vampries roaring with laughter, and tapped the barman on the shoulder. The man yelped in fright and whirled around, visably shaking. When he saw who it was, his fear died down. "Jesus," Willie sighed in relief "You shouldn't sneak up on a guy like that." Gabriel smiled, running a hand through his unruly blond hair before speaking. "I'm lookin' for someone, heard you'd be the man to speak to for info." He began, notcing in amusement how the human had to strain to understand his thick Irish accent, only to be cut off. "I don't know where he is." Willie interrupted him in a sudden outburst. He was shaking slighly again, and sweat was beginning to bead on his forehead. "Haven't seen him and I don't know where he's been or whats happened to him." The lie was an obvious one, and Willie found himself wishing he didn't find things out so damned quick. This was one bit of gossip he hadn't wanted to know. As soon as the information had come to him, people from all over had been asking about it, and had alerted it's subject to it's circulation. Now he had been warned to keep it quiet. Or else. Gabriel smiled at the obvious lies and held up a hand to silence the babbling man. He knew who he was looking for had been there, but it looked like he wasn't going to get anywhere asking around anymore. He was going to have to find Spike himself if he wanted to kill him.  
  
An awkward expression fixed on his pale face, Spike began to make his pitch to the Slayer as to why she should let him back into her little circle of friends and their activities. "I know you could never trust me, and you've good reason not to," He started, his mind once again going back to the night before he'd left when he'd...But he hadn't, he told himself decidedly. Why? Because he was whipped. The thought made Spike physically sick, and it showed on his face, although Buffy thought it was for a different reason. "But I want to help," he continued in his most earnest tone, realising they had walked to her home and now stopped outside it. "I want to try and put things right," And did you know, I'm also known as Angel? "I'm tired of being useless." The expression on Buffy's face was unreadable as she forced herself to look into his crystal blue eyes. He looked honest enough, but he wasn't exactly a saint. In fact, he was pretty much famous because he had been the opposite. Still, that was a long time ago, couldn't she just forget that? No. She couldn't. But she could at least let him help, if not because she wanted to forgive him, because Willow was still on the loose. Spike decided that staying silent might not be the best thing if he was trying to set himself back into her good books, so added one last thing. "I know I can never be good, but let me at least try to get halfway there." That decided it. Slip the word 'good' into one of his sentences and he was a changed man; well, vampire. She knew well and good that becoming anything like Angel was one of his worst nightmares, so now he had convinced her he was on a quest for things of the good, she was ready to take him back in without the threat of a stake being driven into his heart. "Alright," she conceeded in a quiet voice, lowering her gaze to the ground before any old feelings had a chance to resurface. "If you want to help, find Willow." Just because she was going to let him help, it didn't mean she had to be nice about it. Spike plastered on his most pleased smile and nodded. "Y'won't regret this!" He called to her as he rounded a corner. As soon as he was out of sight, the innocently pleased smile was replaced by a malicious one. So he had gotten the ball rolling, now it was time to make sure it carried on going.  
  
Well, he hadn't been here in a while. This particular hangout was pretty much reserved for the certified bad-asses of the town, therefore his presence wasn't exactly welcome. As soon as he had stepped through the doors and come down the dirty steps, he was seized by an oversized demon with a really bad skin problem. Spike growled and shook himself free. The demon frowned. "Look who it is, boys," It laughed, leaning back a bit into the adjoining room, and blocking the vampire's way. Spike absently took the time to note that the comment was a bit sexist, as at the moment, the biggest threat in Sunnydale was female, before getting his mind back on task. "Spike!" To his extreme annoyance, this was met with roars of laughter. They wouldn't be laughing for long. He shoved past what seemed to be the bouncer and entered the smoky room which held the 'boys', a large portion of which, he was quick to notice, were actually girls. "What you doing here, runt?" A tall, bulky vampire who went by the name of Bull demanded, standing in front of him to accentuate the difference in height and build. "Business, mate," He announced, hoping that the others noticed the biggest's agitation. Bull had worked for Spike back when he ran the town with Drusilla. "Now be a good boy and run along, daddy needs to talk with the grown-ups." He brushed past the indignant vampire, remarking how easy it was to slip back into his old demeanor, and smiled at the group. "You talk like you mean something," Bull snarled behind him "You don't mean nothing, mate, you're just the Slayer's new pet. You're no better than Angel." Spike cocked his head to one side and clenched his fists. Looked like the guy was going to need a demo of just how much of a something he really was. Then, he really needed to get down to business.  
  
To his credit, Bull deftly blocked Spike's first roundhouse kick, but from then on the fight was pretty much one sided. In fact, Spike would have been surprised if someone told him he had been hit once. He supposed he could thank that weird creature which had 'tested' him back in Africa. Nothing could have come out of that lot without having some new skills to show for it. Punch after punch landed in Bull's bleeding and bruised face, each one more powerful than the last. Spike was silent throughout his assalt, something unusual for him, but for some reason, all he wanted to do was beat the living hell out of something. That something just happened to be Bull. He didn't even want to kill the guy. When he decided the vampire had learnt his lesson, Spike stood up and turned back to the group, once again smiling at them, knowing he was coated in Bull's fresh blood. "Now," he sighed, pulling up a chair at the nearest table and grinning in triumph when the others seated at it shifted away from him. "Which one of you want to do me a favour?" His only answer was silence, so he took that as an invitation to pick someone. The Big Bads weren't as big and bad as they used to be, he thought. Just didn't make 'em like they used to. Back in his day, nobody would take this intrusion without a good fight; now, they just sat there. He stood up again and walked over to a petite brunette who vaguely resembled Drusilla. "How can I help?" She asked in a bored tone, which reminded him more of Buffy than his Sire. He smiled at her confidence, wondering if she was going to put up a fight after all, and sat next to her. "Need to know where Willow is." he told her matter-of-factly, expecting everyone to know who she was by now. Everyone did, by the looks on their faces. The brunette stayed silent. "Where?" he prodded, keeping his tone relaxed and gentle. She glanced around before taking a deep breath. "You know the factory?" She began, but Spike had already gotten up and was on his way out of the door. That was just too simple.  
  
Damn. Gabriel had been running around in circles all night in search of Spike, and always gotten to his destination five minutes too late. Now he waited outside the Slayer's house. Not a safe place to be by anyone's estimation, but it was the place he was told Spike would most likely show up at. According to his sources, the vampire had been sleeping with the Slayer for a while before disappearing, only to resurface a night before his own arrival in Sunnydale. A bit off, that was. A vampire sleeping with a Slayer; but it wasn't as if it hadn't happened before. Buffy had fallen for the charms of Angel a few short years ago, leaving him souless, if memory served. Gabriel wished he could have been there to see everyone reunited again. Drusilla, Spike and Angelus, all back together like it was supposed to be. Well, until Angelus got on the wrong side of Spike and led him to back the opposing team. Maybe that was what caused Spike to start going good? Whatever, he didn't need to dwell in the past, all he needed to do was find him, and kill him. Simple as. However, as Gabriel's gaze wandered to the stars watching over, something in the back of his mind sent out a warning. It wouldn't be that simple. Things never were. He of all people should know that. Not ten years ago, he had been made a fine example of just how complicated things could really get.  
  
For as long as he could remember, he had loved the idea of duels. Not just a brawl, a real organised fight to the death. That was why he made sure he was the best at them. Gabriel travelled all over the world in search of opponents, each time he won feeling more and more indestructable. But it was when he picked a fight with a Brukjat demon that he found out just how wrong he had been. After the fight, the essence of the demon had needed to find another host, it's original being destroyed, and had jumped into his body. The vampiric portion of Gabriel hadn't exactly taken too kindly to this intrusion, and an agonising internal battle had been waged, the result being undecided. Both spirits remained inside of him, and, call him a Freak of Nature, both remained. However, never one to be pessimistic, he took this to his advantage and continued duelling all over the world. The Brukjat had made him stronger. Unfortuantely, this meant that before long he had then run out of opponents worthy of him and his new counterpart. There weren't all that many people who could take on someone who was half vampire, half demon, and live to tell the tale. This had brought him to his old pal, Spike. They said that you only really proved yourself as a vampire when you better your Sire, Gabriel decided killing him would be a whole lot more fun. 


	2. It ain't you, sweetheart. Its me.

Was there anywhere where his memories wouldn't haunt him like ghosts in the night? Spike had made his way to the factory without much trouble. Even though he hadn't been there in years, he wasn't likely to forget the crumbling building. It was where he and Drusilla had first lived when they had come to Sunnydale in pursuit of his third victory over a Slayer. It had also been burnt down by Buffy's Watcher Giles after that idiotic Angelus had killed his sweetheart. Spike couldn't remember her name, but he didn't much care. Apparently, some rich guy had plans of renovating and re- building it so he had somewhere to store whatever it was he wanted storing, but Spike wasn't too keen on the idea. It would erase his ghosts, and he needed those. He needed reminding of his old life, of how things used to be, of how he used to think. Of Drusilla. He didn't own a watch, but he was guessing it was edging into the hours before dawn, that meant he had plently of time to go in there and have a poke around in search of Willow. By the sound of things, she had burnt herself out pretty badly the other night, going on a magick trip a million times more powerful than the most potent drug, so he was guessing she wasn't going to make a come-back for another night at least. Giving him time to go home and get some much needed rest. Those tests over in Africa had really taken in out of him, and his body hadn't had sufficient blood to heal itself properly. Yep, a good meal and a long sleep would make him feel much better. But he was just so close. With a sigh he resolved to go in right then; after all, if he went home now, he'd only be bored. Why not amuse himself and go witch-hunting? Spike nibbled his bottom lip thoughtfully before taking one last look at the outside of the old factory and going in.  
  
As she had expected, Dawn was in her room when Buffy got home. She rapped on the sticker-covered door a couple of times before walking inside when she got no answer. Her little sister was lay on her bed with her back to her, her long red hair spilled across the lilac pillow. The Slayer sat down on the end of her bed and smiled sympathetically. Dawn was taking the whole Willow thing badly, they all were, and she had been lay here in silence ever since coming home. "Look, Dawn, I know this is hard on you," She began in a gentle voice, only to be interrupted. "Then leave me alone." Dawn cut in, her voice strained as though she had been crying. Buffy looked to the floor, wondering how best to approach this, before coming up with an idea to cheer her up. "Spike's back." She told her in a happy tone, sitting up straighter just in time to catch the tinyest flicker of a smile wash over her little sister's features before it vanished. Suddenly, Dawn swung her legs over the side of the bed and leapt to her feet. Buffy's mind shot into overdrive. What was she doing? Was she going to run away? "W-where are you going?" She stammered worredly. "To Spike's," She replied, already half way out of the door. Buffy's heart wrenched. Her sister felt more comfortable with a vampire than with her. It was useless going after her, she'd only end up sneaking out eventually and running over there with new tales of how evil her sister was; and anyway, it would be light soon enough, and Spike's was only round the corner. It was only after the front door had slammed shut behind Dawn that Buffy remembered something. Spike wouldn't be home because she'd sent him out to find Willow. With a frustrated sigh, Buffy hauled herself up and ran out after her.  
  
The door being flung open at this time of night had really startled Gabriel. He had been peacefully dozing off, propped up against the tree outside the Slayer's house, when a young teenager had come flying outside. He pressed himself even flatter against the trunk of the huge old oak and prayed he wasn't spotted, his efforts being doubled when Buffy followed her sister out. "What do you want now?" Dawn demanded in an irritated voice. Every time she looked over her shoulder it seemed she was there, always ready to critisize her on the slightest thing she did wrong. "He won't be there," Buffy told her patiently, catching onto her arm just to make sure she stayed put. As she received a venomous glare, she absently wondered what her neighbours thought of her. She came in and out of the house in the small hours every single night, usually looking a state and with her clothes ripped. Why, even now, she was having a family feud and it was about one in the morning. Yep, she was sure the other inhabitants of Revello Drive just loved her. "And you'd know because...?" Dawn left the sentence open to be filled in. "I sent him to look for Willow." She replied quietly. The expression on her sister's face said it all. She looked disgusted with her. "What?" Buffy frowned. "Why do you hate him so much?" Dawn queried heatedly after a moments pause. The Slayer shot her a questioning look and she elaborated, shaking herself free of her grip. "You've just sent him to get himself killed, all because he left you." Buffy's head snapped up. "Left me?" she repeated with a laugh. "He knew if he didn't leave I'd have staked him." "No you wouldn't," Dawn argued "If you were going to stake him, you would have done it already. He left you, and thats why you're so upset." The Slayer whirled around to face the house, willing the tears brimming to disappear, before turning back to confront her little sister again; only to find her gone. She cursed under her breath. Dawn must have taken off running when she'd turned around, probably gone to Spike's to wait with Clem for him to come home. Why was she being so stubborn?  
  
One minute she had been talking to Buffy, and the next, Dawn found herself loosing consciousness due to a strong pair of hands wrapped around her throat. Where was Buffy? Why wasn't she helping? A cold wind blew past, making the hairs on the back of her neck stand up, and Dawn wondered if she was going to die. She was starting to get numb, and the stars above her were beginning to merge into one. Each second which went by felt like an hour as her attacker's grip increased it's pressure. She wasn't going to die, she decided resolutely. If someone wanted to kill her, they could just snap her neck or bite her, assuming it was a vampire, but this person was simply knocking her out. It might not even be a vampire, she conceeded, maybe some other kind of demon, but it definitely wasn't human. No human was this strong. Suddenly, the hands released her neck and allowed her to slide to the ground where she lay gasping for breath and waiting for her vision to return to normal. "Y'alright to answer me a question or two, darling?" Someone with an Irish accent was asking. The attacker, she realised. Dawn simply coughed and wished she could muster the strength to yell for Buffy. "Why would you be wanting to go to Spike's?" Spike. Maybe he could help her? "I mean, I know he's got that chip shoved in his head and all, but, lets face it, he's a bit anti-social, isn't he?" She managed to make a tiny strangled noise akin to a very small kitten mewing for milk, but still no cry for help would pass her lips. Gabriel sighed heavily. It was a shame he was going have to make this innocent teen suffer, but Spike hadn't shown, and he was an impatient kind of guy. If he couldn't find him, andit didn't look like he would as the bugger just wouldn't stay put, he was going to have to draw him out himself. If he'd been sleeping with the Slayer, he might be bothered if someone kidnapped her little sister. Gabriel gave Dawn a quick kick in the side of her head which sent her sprawling into darkness before he set about hauling her over his shoudler and carrying her away.  
  
Once inside the delapidated old building, Spike had had to wait a while before his eyes adjusted to the lack of light, and that was saying something. The place's darkness was just so final, even with his sharpened vampire senses he had trouble making some things out. Well, at first anyway. Now, it was looking as clear as day; especially when he allowed his face to morph into it's true form to improve his eyesight further. Stepping over an upturned chair, he cocked his head to one side and frowned. He could have sworn he had just smelt that. Willow's scent, mixed with a whole lot of evil. But it was so damned hard to pick it out through the strong charred smell the entire factory reeked of. He was in the dining room, he observed. Nobody had actually eaten in there, but Drusilla had held her little tea-parties for her sea of dolls at the long, wooden table in the centre of the room, and thus it had become known as the dining room. The table still remained, but one could hardly make it out as such. It had succumb to the ravages of the fire and the age after it just the same as everything else inside. There. Another fragmented scent. Where was it coming from? After a minute or so of waiting and getting nothing more, Spike decided to take another approach to his search. Which rooms were the least wrecked? The storage room upstairs and the bedroom downstairs. Now, which ones did Willow know her way to? The bedroom. She and Xander had been imprisoned in it when Spike had first returned to Sunnydale after Dru had left him, and she had obviously escaped, so she knew her way there. Right, he should try there, then. Taking each step carefully, as though he were navigating his way through a minefield might he be detected, Spike began to make his way towards the stairs which led to his and his Sire's old bedroom where, hopefully, he would find Willow and begin to put his plan into action.  
  
So tired. Willow felt as though she were a century old. She didn't know why she had come to the factory after last night. Probably because Buffy wouldn't expect it, and no one would think to look there; after all, the place was a complete wreck, but she just had. Luckily, the only room she knew, the bedroom, wasn't all that bad, as it was downstairs from where the main fire had raged. The factory stank, but she didn't much care. All she needed this place for was to rest before she was powerful enough to take on the world again. Somewhere, buried deep in the back of her mind, she felt a little bad about wanting to take her old friend Buffy out, but that place was soon forgotten about. Buffy was just in the way. If Tara wasn't in the world, what was the point of exsisting? And if she didn't exsist, why should everyone else get to? Those were her reasons, and she was sticking to them, even though she knew no matter how much revenge she got on the world, and in how many different forms she acheived it, her grief wouldn't disappear. At least the bed was comfy, though. "It's polite to ask before you go to sleep in someone else's bed, y'know." Spike's slow drawl awakened her from her anguished daze and she shot up, eyes already clouding over black. "Easy now," The vampire held up his hands in a sign of surrender. "I'm here to talk business with y', nothin' more." Willow didn't back down. Spike loved Buffy, so she saw him as an extension of her. Therefore, he would die. She sprang to her feet and began to nurse a blinding green light in her hands, a cruel smile on her face, before suddenly being caught off guard and smacked across the face. She whipped back round to face him and frowned. He wasn't in pain. What did that mean? Was she still human? Was she too powerful for the chip to react to? Spike held up his hands again. "Business," he repeated "Keep the hocus-pocus out of it for a minute and I'll explain, alright?"  
  
After a moment's charged silence, Willow nodded her consent, allowing her eyes to return to their normal colour. Spike sighed his relief and shook his head before taking out a packet of cigarettes. "And y' used to be such a nice girl," he joked and pulled a cig free, disgarding the empty packet on the floor and lighting it. "Why're you after Buffy's blood? I mean, yeah, Warren shot your girlfriend and y' killed him, well done, but whats with the evil trip?" Willow was still very much on guard and so simply shrugged stiffly. Maybe Buffy had sent him? No, there was a different air about him. "Why didn't your chip react?" She instead replied with a question of her own. To her surprise, Spike broke into a huge grin and totally relaxed. "Wondered when you'd ask," he beamed, walking around her to sit on his old bed. It still had the faintest scent of Drusilla on the crimson covers. "Bet you were wonderin' if it was you, eh?" He raised the pitch of his voice to mimick her own. " 'Am I human? Am I too evil for it to work'?" Spike laughed heartily, making Willow frown. Whatever it was, he was happy about it. "Well, it ain't you, sweetheart. It's me." He took a long drag of the cigarette and waited for the realisation to show on her face before telling her straight. "The chip's out." The reaction he got was a mixed one. Shock, anger, confusion; even a little fear; all these emotions flickered one by one across her face before it settled on the one which annoyed him to no end. She looked totally nonchalant. "And?" She raised an eyebrow, absently realising it was exactly what he would do. Spike growled angrily and in a second was right next to her. Willow felt the electricity spark between her hands, making sure she was ready for anything, just in case he decided to try it on. "And?!" He repeated, his golden eyes blazing. "Do you remember who I am?! I'm gonna help y' kill the Slayer, luv, that what's 'and'." Somewhere in his mind, Spike was aware not all of that sentence had made sense, but he dismissed it. All that mattered was that he had gotten Willow's attention, and more than probably, her partnership. 


	3. I'll handle it

Darkness. Everywhere she looked, it over-shadowed her view. Dawn had never in her life thought anywhere could get so dark; it was as if the sun had never existed. She didn't even know if it was night or day outside, all she knew was that whatever had taken her, sure as hell didn't want her to be found. She had long known that calling for help in a situation like this never benefited anyone, but that didn't stop her from doing it. It was just instinct. Even if there is nobody around who could possibly want to help you, you have to try. "Buffy!" She screamed as loud as she could with her sore throat. She could feel the bruising rising on her neck where her attacker's strong hands had gripped her, and she knew the mark wouldn't go away for quite some time. The air around her was damp and old, as if this was a place not frequently visited by human life. It hurt her lungs to breathe it. "Spike!" She tried, knowing that if Xander knew that he was who she cried out to for help, he would be shattered. Xander always fancied himself the big strong hero of the group next to Buffy, but in truth, everyone knew they had a better chance of being saved by the vampire. The sound of a shoe scuffing the ground drew her attention to her left and she squinted through the darkness, trying to see what had made the sound. Suddenly, the room in which she was being held was illuminated by the flame of a lighter, which was then used to light a sea of candles one by one. Dawn watched her captor as he calmly went about lighting the wick of each candle and remarked how relaxed he looked. Like he had all the time in the world. "You're not being very polite, y'know," The man informed her in his thick Irish drawl. "I was just asleep before you started bawling for help." Dawn shivered with cold and waited for what would come next. A threat, maybe; an explanation of what was happening. But nothing came. He simply set his lighter down on the ground and left.  
  
Unlike most people he knew that were inclined to the evil way of things, Gabriel saw no sense in telling his captive of his plans. She would only be able to call out some last minute warning to whoever came to save her, and his endeavours would have been in vain. He understood why others did it, to brag about their intelligence or whatever else, but he prefered to keep everything to himself. Telling the little girl about his plot to kill Spike would do him no good. Especially since she seemed so attatched to him. The only reason he could fathom for this attatchment was that she found him good-looking; otherwise, he was at a loss. As his Childe, Gabriel was supposed to like and even idolise Spike, but he found him arrogant, rude, and with a likeness for violence which was entirely un-necessary. When the pair had hunted together in Paris back in 1925, Spike would take him on a wild chase after some poor soul that would last half the night, only to reveal after capturing them that he didn't even intend to kill them. 'A little torture never hurt anyone', was a joke he was fond of. Well, not that Gabriel thought himself better than Spike, but he didn't have the same taste for that sort of thing, finding a good clean kill much more rewarding. He had been drawn to him one night after watching him brawl against seven others in a pub and win easily. The way he had fought so fearlessly had made Gabriel curious and eager to get to know him better, and that he did. God knows why Spike decided to Sire him, probably because he reminded him of home as he had recently lived in London after moving from Ireland, but that was what happened. After that, Gabriel stuck around for about two decades before one day, he awoke to find Spike and Drusilla had left. It had left him feeling totally rejected, a feeling he had never quite shaken off, but now was his time for revenge. He would fight his Sire to the death, and finally bury the feeling that he was insignificant. He would prove just how significant he could be.  
  
"And what makes you think I need your help?" Willow narrowed her eyes, toying with the idea of killing him just for disturbing her. She had never particularly hated Spike, always felt sort of sorry for him, actually, but saying that, she hadn't exactly liked him. He was too cocky. "Oh I don't know," Spike drawled sarcastically "Can't have anythin' to do with the fact you're holed up in my old hideout, drained to the core, can it?" The Wiccan glared evenly at him. In one respect, she supposed he had a point; she couldn't fight forever, no matter how powerful she felt at the time, and she would need some backup. However, his irritating personality was making it hard not to just kill him. "Look, y'know you'll agree eventually, so lets get down to business, shall we? I've never been one to procrastinate." He interrupted her thoughts, and started to wander about his old bedroom. She could imagine how strange it must be for him to return to this place where he and his Sire had once lived, back when things had been so much simpler. "How do I know I can trust you?" Willow asked after a substantial silence in which the vampire picked up a stray doll Drusilla had left behind before throwing it angrily aside. If she didn't know better, she could have sworn Spike laughed at that, but she knew nobody were stupid enough to laugh in the face of someone as powerful as she was. Stupid, no, but cocky? "You don't," He told her matter-of-factly "You can count on my ability to kill the Slayer, though." Willow carefully went over what he had just said, analysing the language he had used. He had told her the truth, but, knowing that wouldn't hold, had added on the end part; cleverly de-personalising Buffy by calling her by her title. Well, he seemed eager enough to get some killing done, and that was all she was after. When the sun set the next day, they would get to work. Then, after she had gotten what she wanted, regardless of whether he proved to be reliable or not, she would stake him. Simple.  
  
A single ray of sunlight filtered through Buffy's cream coloured curtains and shone on her face. A second later, her eyes flickered open. She peered across at the clock and sighed. It was 6am. She didn't understand how that always seemed to happen. When she had somewhere to go, she always woke up late, but whenever she had a day in which she had absolutely nothing to do, she woke up ridiculously early. Well, she knew from experience that now she was awake she wouldn't be able to go back to sleep, so after a couple more minutes of lying in bed, she pulled herself up. Her blond hair felt heavy on her head and after she ran her fingers through it, decided it was in need of a wash. Buffy yawned and frowned in the mirror at herself. The rings under her eyes were huge; it looked like she hadn't slept in months. The Slayer quickly brushed her teeth next door in the bathroom before creeping downstairs. After all, she didn't want to wake Dawn. Suddenly, she remembered that her little sister had ran off to Spike's crypt last night, and turned around on the stairs to check if she was in her bed. Nope, no-one in there. She surely hadn't slept on one of Spike's old chairs? Buffy left the room again and decided that as soon as she was ready, she would take a little trip into the cemetary and collect her sister. Even if that did mean she would have to see the vampire she really, really wanted to be avoiding.  
  
The tiredness has slowly but surely crept up on Spike as Willow droned on and on in the factory about her plans until he could no longer conceal his yawns. Did she not understand that his time to sleep was during the day? After he had jerked himself awake for the tenth time, he excused himself and began to run home. She had kept him there much longer than he had anticipated and now he would have to be bloody quick back to his crypt if he didn't want to end up with a particularly nasty tan. Spike slammed the door shut behind him and cringed as the noise echoed throughout the deserted mausoleum. He had just made it. His skin felt hot, as if he had been sitting too close to the fire for too long, but at least he had missed the full sunrise. A movement next to the tomb in the corner of his home alerted him to the fact that he had not arrived to the emptyness he had grown used to. Before he could raise his defences, however, Clem jumped out from behind the tomb, having apparently been asleep. Spike sighed in relief and ran a hand through his hair. "Wow, you were really cutting it close if you've only just got back," Clem exclaimed with his usual cheeriness, motioning to the rising sun outside, and watched as his friend simply shrugged. "I just came to give you a bit of a heads up." Spike looked over at him lazily and yawned, making Clem eager to get going. He didn't want to deprive his friend of any sleep. "Word is some guys been after you since last night." The vampire shrugged again. "Clem, I appreciate y' tellin' me," He managed a small smile in favour of the kind-hearted demon he had become mates with. "But there's always some guy after me. I'll handle it." Especially with the world's most powerful witch on my side. Clem said his goodbyes, prompting Spike to invite him back over 'some time next week' for a game of poker or something similar, and left. Despite his dismissal of the demon's warning, however, Spike was now feeling particularly paranoid. Nobody knew of his relapse back into the good old bad way of things, so he still had a whole load of enemies. It was just a case of guessing which one was after his blood this week. He was sure he would have reached a conclusion eventually, but his tired mind just couldn't manage sufficiently coherent thoughts, so he gave up soon after, resolving not to give it another thought until he'd had a decent sleep.  
  
Why did Dawn always manage to make everything all that much more worse for her in every situation? It was like she didn't realise that other people had problems, and the world didn't revolve around her. The Slayer rubbed her tired eyes as the sun re-appeared from behind a clump of clouds which were an ominous shade of gray. She was never usually up this early. But then again, when were things ever usual in Sunnydale? Ah, she had reached the cemetary. Something is clearly wrong with your life when you end up in cemetaries at the end of your night and at the beginning of your day. Well, that meant there had been something wrong with Buffy's life for quite some time now. She spotted Spike's crypt looming in the distance and sighed heavily. The night he'd disappeared, she had vowed never to return to this place, and yet, not a fortnight later, here she was. Nothing would make her forgive what he had tried to do to her, but her heart already felt it wanted to. It was as if she was already trying to forget it. The Slayer shook her head at her own stupidity and glanced at her watch. 7am. Not as bad as 6, but still an un-godly hour for a Sunday. She took a deep breath upon reaching her destination and burst in, where she found Spike tiredly making his way down the stairs to the bottom level of his crypt. "Late night?" she asked drily, making sure her tone invited no explanation. "Well, babysitting Dawn's a tough job. Is she down there?" Spike frowned and massaged his temples. "What?" he complained, the total confusion he felt clear in his voice. Buffy looked hard at him and the facts hit her. Dawn wasn't there. He hadn't seen her. And yet she wasn't home. All pointing to...? Without another word, Buffy darted back the way she had come. Spike frowned and shook his head tiredly. Whatever.  
  
Xander's body tensed in fear and his eyes squeezed shut even tighter. The sweat on his brow began to re-new itself as another set of images visited him in his sleep. He had been plagued by dreams of Willow all night, and had only managed to get about three hours rest despite going to bed earlier than usual. In this particular one, he and his best friend were just stood there, staring at one another. She cocked her head to one side quizically and spread her arms wide. Xander smiled and went to give her the hug she was inviting, but found to his dismay he couldn't move. His limbs felt like lead. He tried with all his might to walk towards her, but he simply couldn't. Willow frowned, a hurt look in her eyes, and dropped her arms to her side. Then without another word she walked away into the utter darkness surrounding them. The ring of a phone dragged Xander back to consciousness and he waited for his frantic breathing to calm before answering it. It was Buffy. "Dawn's missing," She excalimed worriedly as soon as Xander had picked up. "She said she was going to Spike's, but he wasn't there 'cause I sent him after Willow, and now I went over to his crypt and he hadn't seen her, and I don't know where she is, and I think she's been taken!" Buffy gulped in some much needed air down the receiver and awaited a reply. "Oh." he croaked, his clouded brain trying to put all the facts which had been fired at him in order. "Come to mine in an hour." The Slayer ordered and hung up. He yawned loudly and groaned before flopping back down in bed. Why couldn't he just go to sleep and stay that way? A warning signal went off in his mind as he was reminded that that was also known as 'death'. That was something he was having too much of at the moment. He'd just stay in bed a minute longer, then. Just another minute... 


	4. And I really am talking to myself, aren'...

"Someone's gonna come and save me, you know," Dawn assured her captor in a shaky voice, noticing with some curiosity that the sun was up and shining from outside. Hadn't he been asleep before, though? She absently decided his body-clock was just messed up and continued trying to intimidate him with threats of her sister. "Theres a whole group of us, and at least three of them could kick your ass." Gabriel yawned, not having to act like he was bored. He had held a lot of people hostage in his time, but none, he didn't think, had been so noisy, irritating or naive as this one. "Why do y' think I've got you here?" He asked her slowly. Dawn frowned, not having expected a reply, and was silent for a moment whilst her brain formulated an idea. "To drink my blood." She said matter-of-factly and watched in confusion as he shook his head. "Do you ever think before you speak?" he said witheringly, but carried on. "If I wanted you dead, you'd be so, wouldn't you? No, you're what is so delicately called 'bait'." Dawn's jaw dropped. Bait? Why was she always bait? She decided that it was high time someone else was bait; someone who was less...her. "So what does that tell you of my thoughts on your mates turning up?" he asked, his slow voice deliberately patronising. She hung her head and looked at the floor. "You want them to come." She answered in a quiet voice and jumped at the sudden sound of Gabriel clapping his hands. The noise bounced off the walls and made Dawn cringe at the contrast between the echos and the silence of before. "So it seems you are capable of semi-intelligent thought," he laughed "But to be precise, I only want one of your mates to show up." Dawn raised her gaze to look right into his cold eyes. "Buffy." Gabriel rolled his eyes after she had spoken. He wasn't even going to bother correcting her. Why these cocky kids felt the need to try and come up with a theory was beyond him. Bait should just do what it was they were there to do. Be bait. Without another word, he left her alone to worry about her sister and wish she could warn her.  
  
Buffy felt a single tear slide down her face, as it had been threatening to do all morning, and quickly brushed it aside. Crying didn't solve anything. Crying didn't save the world, and crying wouldn't bring Dawn back. Being strong would. Where was Xander? It was only after she had hung up on him that she had realised she had no one else to call. Usually, phone calls to rally all the Scoobies together would take about fifteen minutes, give or take, but now it took about two. There was only herself and Xander now. Tara was dead, Giles was in England, Anya was off somewhere making with the Vengence Demon act, and Willow was, well, evil. Willow. The name flashed through Buffy's mind rapidly, and left her reeling. Why hadn't she thought of it before? If Willow really wanted to hurt Buffy then of course she was going to go for her true weakspot : her family. The Slayer put her head in her hands and sat down heavily on the sofa in the living room. She remembered what Willow had tried to do to her little sister on their last encounter and felt physically sick. She had tried to turn Dawn back into whatever the Key originally was. Buffy squeezed her eyes tightly shut and held her breath, willing the pain she felt to disappear. Eventually, she re-opened her eyes and squinted through the early morning light where she could see the paper boy throwing this morning edition of the Sunnydale Weekly haphazardly in the general direction of the houses on his round. The sight looked so normal. Everything about Sunnydale looked normal during the day. That is, of course, unless you were the Slayer and you knew that there was a good chance that the same paper boy knocking over your garden features might die that same night in the arms of a vampire. Buffy glanced at the clock and frowned. It was pretty clear that Xander wasn't going to arrive any time soon, so that left her with one alternative. With an aggravated sigh, Buffy grabbed her jacket and began to make her way to Spike's crypt for the second time that day.  
  
As he slept, a peaceful smile played on Spike's features. He had forgotten just how good a nice nap in a real bed could feel. In Africa, he had been forced to make do with sleeping on the cold stone floor, and during his travels over there, on a wooden box beneath deck of whatever boat he had crept aboard. Now though, he revelled in the feel of the soft materials enveloping him, and didn't even mind that he had neglected to remove his heavy boots before collapsing. Sleep had come almost immediately, a rare occurrence in his life, and now it was going without the smallest hint of a dream, let alone a nightmare. Although, somewhere in his subconscious, he was playing through the most recent events in his life. His rejection at the hands of Buffy; his anger at what he had become after he had attempted to force himself on her; and finally, his tests in Africa which had resulted in him getting his chip removed. God, he would have kissed that demon if he hadn't been so, well, repulsive. When Buffy entered the room where Spike chose to sleep, she raised an eyebrow at his look of serene happiness. What reason did he have to be happy? He shouldn't be happy. "Spike, get up." She said in a loud, dry tone which told her just how weary of life she really was, and make her crave the times with Spike when she had really felt alive. The vampire sprang to life, immediately adopting the defensive position, even though his eyesight was still blurry from sleep. That was why it took about five seconds before he recognised the Slayer and dropped his guard. "Help you?" he spat angrily, a voice in the back of his mind warning him not to blow it. At her questioning glance, he decided to inform her just why he was angry. "Do you have any idea how much sleep I've gotten recently? Not a damned lot, I can tell y'that. And now, when I finally drop off in the comfort of my own bed, you come and wake me up!" He realised he was all set to rant, when he thought over what he had said. "Why have you woken me up?" Buffy sniffed. "It's Dawn."  
  
Despite everything he had been telling himself he was, panic still swept through Spike when Buffy informed him that she thought her sister had been taken. Before, he had been able to blame the chip for everything he felt, saying it was simply 'buggering up' his system; but there was nothing to blame for what he felt now. He was really worried about the little brat. His stomach knotted tighter and tighter as Buffy vented her fears and worries to him concerning Dawn, which brought him back to when the Slayer had just returned from the dead. She had told him everything, shared her secrets and her pain with him when her friends couldn't even get a sentence out of her. Spike continued to feel sick as he heard himself agree to help find her. As soon as Buffy had awkwardly thanked him and left to probably wander the streets in search of her sister, Spike shifted into game face. "What the hell is wrong with me?" he growled angrily to the emptiness around him. "I've got the chip out!" The words sank in fully without a moment's hesitation, and he managed a smirk. "I've got the chip out." he repeated, sounding less annoyed and more cocky now, as if practising how he would say it to the Slayer just before he killed her. "Yes!" Spike yelled, happy now, and feeling more schizophrenic than Drusilla had been. Those were the type of thoughts he needed to be having. Not the love filled ones he had been driving away ever since the demon had gotten the bloody thing out of his head. All he could think of now was how to kill her. Then there appeared a hitch in his plans. That hitch went by the name of Willow. She was going all power-trippy already; couldn't let her kill a Slayer in that state, or she'd turn out as bad as Spike's one and only Childe. Now that guy had been up his own arse. He killed one Slayer in one of those pathetic little duel things he was so obsessed with, and went on this huge ego-trip that never ended. Muppet, his mind decided. No, he'd gotten off track. "I've got the chip out;" he said for the third time, an evil smirk that would have made Angelus in his hey-day proud playing on his lips. "I can do what the hell I please. But if I want to kill Buffy myself, I need to get rid of Willow." The smirk faded. "And I really am talking to myself, aren't I?"  
  
The first time Dawn saw her captor shift into game face, she had been truly surprised to feel shocked. She had seen enough vampire's in their true form to expect not to be shocked anymore, she hadn't even minded when Spike had done it whilst snacking when she'd been hanging out at his crypt, but this guy's face was something else. Along with the usual traits - protuding brow, long fangs, wrinkly in the forehead department - there was something different. Tiny horns sprouted in random places around his scalp, and his eyes took on a distinctly electric blue tint.  
  
"Where the hell is he?!" The vampire (if you could call him that) yelled, pacing around in front of where she was chained up, and seemingly in a world of his own. "I mean, here I am, Gabriel, all the way from bleedin' Ireland, and he doesn't even bother to show up when I kidnap someone he supposedly cares about?!" "Thats a pretty name," Dawn said quietly, hoping to calm him down before he did something he might regret, like, oh she didn't know, rip her limb from limb? He stopped, allowing his face to morph back into it's human mask, and raised an eyebrow, the anger still not completely gone from his intense eyes. "Gabriel," she elaborated. "Its, erm, pretty." He paused a moment before smiling. "Thanks," Gabriel replied in an amused tone, before his demeanor changed for the worst. Whilst he had been in his little world, what had he said? His name, obviously, but he had also revealed he was waiting for a 'he'; and last time he checked, the Slayer wasn't a 'he'. Luckily, the idiot before him looked as though she hadn't caught that little piece of information. "I'm gonna un-chain you so y'can eat." he told her gruffly. "Try anything and I'll rip your heart out." Dawn paled. Like she was going to 'try anything' after seeing what a freak-show this guy was. Nope, she preferred to wait for the cavalry to arrive. Something she was hoping would happen real soon.  
  
Clem peered around the empty level of Spike's spacious crypt, and wondered absently if he ever came up there anymore. He had caught the Slayer upon her departure and assured her that she had his help with whatever she needed before going inside to check up on his old buddy. He had recognised that Spike had been majorly tired and anxious about something on his last visit, and so had retrieved Monty Python's Life Of Brian from his video collection to try and cheer the vampire up, as he remembered him saying it was a favourite film of his. Only now he was here, he was having second thoughts about going down and disturbing him, especially after he heard what he knew was Spike having one of his rants to no-one in particular. He knew from experience that when Spike started ranting to himself, he was either really pissed off, or really upset. Neither was a prospect he favoured encountering. Still, he crept forwards, telling himself that if he was a real friend he would be down there helping him through whatever it was, and cocked his head to one side to hear what was being said. He zoned in perfectly on Spike's voice, thanking his demon ancestors that they left him at least one 'power' in his extraordinary hearing abilities, and blocked everything else out. The single ray of sunlight which peeked through a hold in Spike's door turned to darkness, everything around him disappeared, and even the sound of the wind gently rushing by was muted. "I've got the chip out; I can do what the hell I please." Clem jumped back in surprise, nearly knocking over one of those chairs he had so efficiently blocked from his mind. Spike had the chip out? That was definitely a 'yay' for him, but not so much a 'yay' for anyone else. Don't get him wrong, Clem liked the vampire, but he really hadn't been all too, well, sane in his pre- chip days from what he had heard. "..I need to get rid of Willow," he heard next, having missed the part following Spike's proclamation about his situation. Clem frowned. So he was still doing good? He didn't really think that was the case. "And I really am talking to myself, aren't I?" Clem decided that that would be a good time to make his presence known in case he was caught eaves-dropping and therefore killed. He thundered down the stairs and watched as Spike whirled round, his golden eyes wild. "Look what I've got!" He smiled stupidly, holding out the video and sounding every part the idiot he let himself be considered. The truly intelligent, he had been taught, didn't claim or let on to be so, but simply waited until they were discarded as fools before unleashing their knowledge on the world. He had been taught they were much more dangerous that way.  
  
So here they were. What was left of the infamous Scoobies. A very tired looking Xander, who had arrived half an hour late and had obviously had an unrestful sleep; a vampire who Buffy was supposed to despise, and yet still had a place in her heart; the Slayer herself; and a demon with pink, folded skin who she had only met about three times, but found pleasantly amiable. "We all know whats going on?" Buffy queried in her business tone which meant that now was so definitely not the time for banter or jokes of any kind, pacing before the three seated on the couch. "Erm, I don't," Clem spoke up nervously, holding up a hand as if he were in primary school. "Spike just told me to come along if I wanted to help." The Slayer managed a genuine smile in the demon's direction. He was such a sweet guy; he didn't even know why he was there except that he had a chance at helping someone. If only all the world's men were like that. "My little sister Dawn's been kidnapped." She informed him, her business tone faltering. "Are y' actually sure, there, Slayer?" Spike piped up, standing and lighting a cigarette. "'Cause I seem to recall a few occasions where you'd alerted the troops only to find out the little Nibblet had been stayin' over at one of her friend's." Buffy's face reddended momentarily, but she quickly regained herself. She was in charge here, and she knew she was right. Who was he to question her? The vampire she was growing to love. The Slayer studied his expression and felt her heart flutter. He looked so concentrated, so focused on what she was about to say. No wonder she still wanted to love him. Suddenly, the memories hit her. Memories of him on her in the bathroom... "I'm right and you're wrong, Spike, so keep your mouth closed or I'll kick your ass." She spat, causing everyone to start in suprise. Everyone caught the vampire's tiny grin, but only Clem understood it. That smirk said a lot of things. It was a challenging smile. A knowing smile. One that said 'Bring it on, Buffy; we'll see who wins this time.' And Clem knew that it was only a matter of time before those same lips were home to a different smile. One with the Slayer's blood covering it. That is, of course, unless he could stop it. 


	5. Now we get shovels?

Dawn had been waiting for the cavalry to arrive for just over half a day now, and she wasn't exactly feeling all too happy about their absence. Maybe Buffy still didn't know she'd gone? Her sister did seem pretty intent on getting Spike killed, so perhaps she wasn't going to be all too willing to go and check up on him. So maybe no one even knew she was gone yet. Great. That meant even more quality time with Mr Psycho. Contrary to his belief, she was in fact not an idiot, and had therefore picked up on the details of his rant before. Gabriel had been annoyed because a 'he' wasn't turning up like he'd expected. She'd bet the farm that 'he' was Spike. "You eaten your grub yet?" Gabriel queried, appearing in the doorway and interrupting her thoughts. Dawn shot to her feet, creeped out by the fact that she had no way of telling how long he had been there. She nodded mutely and he shrugged. "Need a drink?" he asked. "Yes," she told him bluntly, not thinking that remembering your manners in front of a vampire was going to get you a thank-you. She watched as he shrugged and left the room, and wondered if he was actually going to get her one. Last time he'd asked, she'd said 'ok' and he hadn't bothered getting her anything. Mind games, she decided. As far as she could tell, it was about mid-day, so she could count on everyone - except maybe Xander - being awake. Good, that meant all forces were on hand to come and save her. Everyone except Spike, anyway. She didn't want him anywhere near this guy if he intended to hurt him. He'd only just got back.  
  
The group of four had split up into singles straight after Buffy had ran through possibilities of where her sister might be, but after Xander and the Slayer had met back up accidentally outside the Bronze, they decided to stay together. Meanwhile, Clem spotted Spike in the sewer tunnels (it was still sunlight outside), and was set to do the same, when he realised where they were. Clem not exactly being the best looking of demons usually kept to the sewers, and he knew this place simply because when he had first come to town, he had been warned to keep well away. They were underneath the factory. Spike ran a painted fingernail down the curved wall just under the manhole where he planned to emerge out of, and a nostalgic smile flashed over his face. He remembered going through that manhole nearly every day back when he had lived in the factory, to do some business during the day, or just to fetch his princess a snack. The smile vanished. And where was Drusilla now? Off cavorting around Europe with anyone who will take her, thats where. Something settled in his stomach and he cringed. Who would he share his victory over his third Slayer with? He had no one. Spike decided that as soon as this whole drama with Dawn was over he would go out looking for a girlfriend. Harmony's name appeared to him, but he grimaced. If he ever saw that bimbo again it would be too soon. He eventually started to ascend the metal ladder leading up into the factory's lowest level, and shoved the manhole cover off with old familiarity, knowing to push it to the left, as on the right there was a sofa. As soon as he had hauled himself up and out, he knew he wasn't alone. "All healed and powerful now, are we?" Spike drawled, not even having to turn around to know that Willow was stood in the doorway. When he did turn however, he noticed that her eyes were comletely black, but simply raised a scarred eyebrow. Beneath them, Clem listened.  
  
"What do you want?" Willow hissed, angry at the intrusion. "Just come to check things over with y'," Spike replied, wondering just how powerful she really was. He had known a witch about half a century ago who had made this guy melt simply be sneezing; that had been pretty cool. He'd been dying to know what would happen if she coughed. "Because you weren't listening before." It wasn't even a question. Spike grinned, providing her with the answer, had it been one. "8pm tonight, we meet outside the Bronze. We kill people, draw the Slayer and her little buddies out, then I kill her." The vampire nodded along, smirking at the fact that she had already depersonalised herself from Buffy by calling her and her lot 'the Slayer and her little buddies'. That was the type of thing he'd say. Maybe this place was rubbing off on her.  
  
"Why y'couldn't have just said that before, I don't know." he sighed and raised an eyebrow at her glare. "What?!" he asked defensively "I'd just got back from bloody Africa, woman, I was shattered!" "You're arrogant and insolent, Spike, and someone should have killed you years ago." Willow told him suddenly, in a low, dangerous tone, which he was quick to match. "But they didn't, did they? And neither will you."Spike growled, letting the ghosts of the factory posess him and further his confidence even more. "You need me, princess, and you know it." He began to stalk forwards in her direction. "I could easily kill Buffy, and wouldn't that rain on your lit'l parade?" Willow's eyes seemed to darken even more. "Leave." she ordered after a short pause. "Now." Spike did a mock salute and made his way back into the sewers. Despite her demand, both knew he was in control; for now anyway. He dropped onto the floor, watched as the manhole cover replaced itself, and jumped in shock at the voice behind. "Hey Spike!" Clem yelled in his happiest tone, lumbering forwards and mentally storing away all the details of the exchange he'd just heard. "You wanna team up to find Dawn?" Spike plastered on his most innocent 'I want to be good' smile, which he'd seen on Angel a million times and nodded.  
  
"Anythin' to help Buffy." He replied with fondness, and repressed a laugh. Yeah, anything to help Buffy die.  
  
The pair had been silent for the half an hour since they had joined up, but now Xander looked over at Buffy, and she just knew what was coming. He fidgeted for a while, looking this way and that, but he had known exactly what he was going to say ever since he had woken up. "Why is Spike still alive after what he did to you?" he blurted out, without even the tinyest hint of tact which he had been practising. Buffy peered down an alley way, just in case her sister was down there, and cringed. Ever since she had seen Xander preparing to ask this, she had been trying to come up with an answer. Unfortunately, she didn't know why he was, so she couldn't even answer herself. "I don't know," the Slayer murmered, lowering her eyes to the floor and stopping walking. "I don't love him or anything - " "Thank God." Xander interjected, but she was intent to finish what she needed to say. "But I definitely feel something for him." Buffy forced herself to look up now and face her friend's criticising stare and met it with one of defiance. "Until I figure out what, I'll keep him around." Xander shook his head, the picture of a disappointed parent, and sighed heavily. "You listen way too much to your heart, and not nearly enough to your head." He informed her, but he didn't sound half as angry as she imagined he would. Buffy managed a smile. "Don't I know it." she replied with a small laugh and from then on, the search felt more companiable. That was just what she needed. If her sister was out there, having god-knows-what done to her at the hands of some big nasty, then she needed her friends around her. Suddenly, her ears picked up on something coming from...where was it coming from? Well, wherever it was, it sounded like Dawn. "Dawn?!" she practically screamed, knowing if it wasn't her, she was going to come off as a total freak. Yeah, 'cause she wasn't used to that after years at high school. Thankfully, she got a muffled reply. "Xander," she rushed frantically. "Did you hear that?" He nodded and they started a new search around the Magic Box.  
  
As soon as Dawn had managed to scream back, she felt a strong hand clasp over her mouth and a face next to her ear. "You make another sound and it'll be the last thing you do," Gabriel hissed furiously, feeling himself slip into game face. "I don't care whether you live or die. The Slayer'll make just as good bait as you." Dawn shivered in fear. She didn't want to die, she faced that prospect way too much for a fifteen year old. All she wanted was a normal life. A voice in the back of her mind laughed. Yeah, because that was really likely to happen to someone who was a Key with a Slayer for a sister. "Please." she whispered in a shaky voice, not knowing exactly what she was pleading for, but feeling a strong need to anyway. Gabriel tightened his grip on her. "Did y'not just hear what I said?" he growled and felt tears begin to fall on his hand clamped over her mouth from her wide eyes. He released her and brushed them off disgustedly. "Remember," he breathed dangerously. "One sound and you and your big sis die." he paused. "Painfully." Dawn nodded unhappily as he carefully backed away, probably to go and check the situation. Why did this always happen to her? Now she couldn't even call for help or she'd get everyone killed. For the first time since her capture, Dawn found herself wishing Spike would just hurry up and get himself over there so she could go free. Her subconscious knew damned well that she didn't have any sort of guarantee she would live, quite the opposite, in fact, but she ignored that expertly. There was no sense in giving in to the pain she felt. After a long pause, she fell to her knees and began to cry into her hands.  
  
Clem was the first to jump up out of the sewers into the town centre, and he held out a hand as if testing for rain before turning to look back down at his old friend who remained down there.  
  
"I think you'll be ok, buddy," he smiled and helped Spike up the ladder and out into the world. They had soon realised that they had been searching underground for hours, and had decided to make a go at seeing how far down the sun was. After all, at this time of year, darkness fell early, and the moon was quick to replace the sun. When Spike was fully out, he cringed. His skin felt it was burning. This was cutting it just a bit too close for his liking. The feeling he had had before of sitting too close to the fire was multiplied by ten, and he didn't know how long he would last. "The sun better disappear pretty soon, or you're gonna be mates with a pile of dust." he groused, feeling the prickling sensation lessen as the darkness became heavier. Clem laughed softly and suddenly, a huge excitement overtook the vampire. He was going to kill his third Slayer in just over an hour; and not just any Slayer, he was going to kill Buffy. At the thought, still, something somewhere cried out in pain, but the majority of Spike's self overpowered it, and the excitement prevailed over the nerves. They were in an alley way just next to the Espresso Pump, and Clem peered outside to check if the coast was clear. Spike may be able to wander about without attracting attention of the running and screaming kind, but he sure couldn't. Luckily, there weren't any humans around and they were able to walk out. If you were an inhabitant of Sunnydale, you quickly learned to keep clear of the streets when the sun set. Spike was first to spot Buffy, and he swaggered over to where she was staring at the bottom of the Magic Box. "I think Dawn's down there." She informed him bluntly upon his arrival, pointing at the foundations accusingly. Spike shot a worried glance at Clem, who shrugged and he smirked to himself. "So what? Now we get shovels?" he mocked and growled as she smacked him. She wasn't going to take jokes when her sister was down there somewhere. All she needed to do now was find her.  
  
Gabriel had hardly believed his luck when his search for a proper hideout had presented itself in a secret door leading out from the cellar of a shop which in turn lead to some sort of cave. Looked like it had been used before, too. Now, however, he pushed the heavy stone door open and stuck his head cautiously out. He could hear the Slayer and another guy talking outside, so he knew they were close. He was about to go back and check his hostage - his extremely annoying hostage - when another voice joined them. Spike. He didn't sound much different than he had back in 1925, which surprised him as his Sire had been living in America for coming up to 6 years now. Then he heard the front door to the shop being kicked open, and jumped back in shock. He pulled the door shut, making sure it was still just slightly ajar, and began to pray that Spike would make his way down there alone. Upstairs, Buffy was helping to answer his prayers as she debated which door to take. "I didn't know there were two store rooms downstairs." Xander commented absently, having followed them in after Spike had unceremoniously kicked the door in. "Yeah, one goes from the training room." Buffy replied in a thoughtful tone. Silence followed as she tried to choose which set of stairs to go down into which room. "Oh for God's sake," Spike sighed theatrically. "Slayer, you take this one with the whelp, me and Clem'll take the training room one." Buffy didn't argue. She didn't have time to be petty when her little sister was somewhere in danger. The vampire and the demon descended the stairs without the caution the other two used, and Spike immediately spotted the imperfection in the wall. "Secret door." He informed him bluntly and started to walk towards it, only to realise his friend wasn't following. Scaredy cat. "Alright, y'don't have to come. Wait there, yeah?" Clem nodded happily, relief evident in his smile. It dropped as soon as Spike disappeared through the door. Now to go and inform Buffy of what Spike was really up to. He may be his friend, but Clem wasn't one for evil. Plus, he really liked Buffy and her sister. 


	6. Simple as

It quickly became obvious to Spike that the secret door had been intentionally left open, as there were also candles lit here and there to guide him in the right direction. He sure as hell didn't like ambushes, but he also sure as hell didn't like people kidnapping his little Nibblet. The fact that he still considered her such instead of demoting her to the label of 'food' like he had everyone else annoyed Spike to no end. Still, he figured he'd stop acting like such a bloody human as soon as Buffy's blood ran down his throat. The thought unexpectedly made him queasy, and he had to stop to compose himself. What was going on? He didn't love her anymore, so why did it feel so bad that he wanted her dead? Not too long ago, the notion that he didn't love Buffy would have been a barefaced lie, but his time in Africa had provided him not just with a way to get rid of the chip, but with time to think. The Slayer had treated him appallingly. She had manipulated him, and had known she could do so, by using his own love against him. In his eyes, that was the worst crime someone could commit. Over the next two weeks or so, it had become clear to him that not only did he not love Buffy anymore, but that he couldn't. If she carried on doing what she did to him, it would kill him. So he had tried to forget about her. But, just like those ghosts in the factory, he discovered he needed her around to remind him of the past. To remind him of what he needed to avoid. The queasy feeling disappeared as quickly as it had come, and it was replaced by an anger which he decided he would take out on whatever was at the end of this tunnel, be it a human or a demon.  
  
Gabriel re-entered the room where he had Dawn captive about three minutes after he had first left, and he had the look of a kid on Christmas Eve. She frowned, not knowing if this was a good or bad thing seeing as she was trapped in there with him, but decided not to ask. She had learnt in her time there that he wasn't much of one for talking, at least, not to her. "Just thought I'd warn whoever's here," Spike's voice echoed through to them, making both their heads snap round. "I'm not in the best of moods, and the first thing I see's gettin' killed." Gabriel's look of excitement did nothing if not increase ten fold. He turned and hurredly unchained Dawn, again warning her to keep silent and not to make a noise of any sort. Suddenly, she saw the vampire enter the room over Gabriel's shoudler, and all her worry melted away into a smile. "Gabe?!" Spike exclaimed in utter disbelief as soon as he had turned around, Dawn in front of his chest as if she were some sort of human shield. The light of the moon would have easily illuminated the large room, but still, a sea of candles were lit. The other vampire smiled. Spike raised a scarred eyebrow and remained where he was, glancing from one face to the other. "Oh, don't worry about her," Gabriel nodded towards Dawn, sounding almost cheery. "I'm gonna let her go as soon as you move from the doorway. Keep my promises, I do." The Slayer's little sister felt pure relief as her saviour moved cautiously aside and she was flung away. "See? It's you I want." "I can't believe y'just let a hostage go." Spike chuckled, shaking his head, ignoring his Childe's last sentence completely, and beginning to walk towards him. "What did I teach you?" "Oh, she won't get out. That door y'came through shuts itself after a few minutes." Gabriel corrected him, waving a hand dismissively. Down the corridor, Dawn's eyes widened as she overheard what had been said about the door. Without another glance back, she started to run for all she was worth.  
  
The look on Buffy's face after Clem had finished informing her about Spike was one of total and utter devastation. It looked as though not only had her entire world come crumbling down, but it had been ground into dust afterwards. She had trusted him, even after what he had tried to do to her, and this was how he repaid her? "You're certain about what you heard?" The Slayer asked him in a desperate tone after a charged silence in which Xander had been debating whether or not to say 'I told you so'. "About Willow?" "Yeah, but neither one's too keen on the other," Clem told her, hating that he was being forced to endanger his friend's life for the sake of the Slayer, her family, and, well, the world. Ok, so maybe he didn't hate it that much. "I'd guess they're gonna kill each other pretty soon, so, you know, good." He paused. "Right?" Xander and the Slayer both looked less than happy at the prospect. Neither wanted their old best friend to die, and something still wouldn't let Buffy forget Spike. "Where is he now?" Buffy queried, looking over the demon's shoulder in case the person being discussed had suddenly appeared, as he so frequently did, and overheard. "Oh, he found this trap door downstairs," Clem told her in an almost dismissive manner "He's gone to check it out." The Slayer shot him a look which clearly said 'are you a complete idiot'? "You mean whilst we've been stood here talking, a killer might be down in some secret hideaway with my baby sister?" she hissed in disbelief. Without waiting for an answer, she grabbed hold of Xander and started to drag him down the other set of stairs after Spike.  
  
It felt as though she were running in slow motion. This had happened to Dawn before. She had been racing with some classmates in primary school for their annual Sports Day, and she had been so excited because in the usual running races they had in the playground, she always won. But when the actual official race started, it was as if her legs had turned to lead. No matter how hard she tried, when she really needed to be fast, she couldn't seem to get moving. Of course, it had all been an illusion, and she had in fact won, but that didn't stop her panicking as the door came into sight, the tinyest crack of light showing through it's hinges. From what she could see, she had about five seconds to get there and pry the thing open. That would have been plenty of time, had it not been for the sinking feeling of something pulling Dawn back. Tears welled in her eyes as the crack grew smaller and smaller still, and time seemed to amost stop altogether. "No!" she cried, reaching out her hand desperately, and crying out again in happiness as she just caught the side. Using all the strength she had left to muster, she managed to open the door a few centimetres more. Just as she was about to give up, her muscles burning, the door was flung open from the outside, and there, bathed in the light from the overhanging bulb, stood her saviours. Her sister, looking as scared as she had ever seen her, Xander, and Clem. Dawn burst out into the open and time regained it's usual momentum as she hugged everyone tightly. "Did Spike hurt you?" Buffy demanded in an infinitely worried tone. Dawn stood back from the hug and frowned, her features darkening with the expression. "Spike?" she repeated. "No, he saved me. Gabriel's the one who took me." The Slayer looked to Clem, who shrugged. "Oh my god!" Dawn exclaimed, as if remembering something of the utmost importance "Spike's still in there with him!" Buffy looked behind her, and with total deliberation, simply watched as the door closed completely. Good. Let him die. What did she care?  
  
"So, is this saving humans thing new, or did you start that as soon as you left me?" Gabriel asked, trying to sound casual, but being unble to hide the bitterness in his voice. The pair, whether consciously or subconsciously, had begun to circle each other, their bodies tensed, ready to fight. "Me and Dru had no choice, Gabe." Spike assured him, although his tone was still dangerous. The other vampire curled his upper lip in distaste. "No choice?" he repeated mockingly. "No choice? Were you forced to abandon me, then?" Spike rolled his eyes, mentally reminding himself not to do that again as Gabriel had moved considerably by the time he had regained his usual concentration, and shook his head. "We didn't abandon you," he argued, itching to just fight, kill the bugger, and get it over with. "We just didn't like you, so we left." Spike shrugged with an evil smile. "Simple as." Gabriel for a moment looked as though he was going to cry, but that emotion was quickly replaced by rage. "Y'know, its funny," he began, his voice suggesting he was gearing up for something special. "Y'keep on saying 'we', but I don't see your precious Drusilla anywhere. From what I heard, she left you when you started sleepin' with the Slayer." Suddenly, he felt the strong hands of his Sire wrapped around his throat, and he realised bringing up Dru had been a bad idea. "Then y'heard wrong, lad," Spike growled, his fangs beared, him having switched to game-face. He increased the pressure on his neck, knowing he didn't breathe, so he couldn't choke him, but knowing he could at least disable him in the right position. "Now, what the hell are y'doin' in my town?" "I've come to challenge you," Gabriel managed to croak, absently wondering if the little brat had actually made it out or not, and twisting in his Sire's iron grip. "To a duel." To his surprise, Spike laughed. He should have known. He let his old Childe go and pushed him back. He gave the slightest nod, the smile still on his lips, and Gabe took that as an acceptance. He grinned and rushed forwards.  
  
The heavy sound of the door slamming to a final close vibrated off the walls of the cellar beneath the Magic Box and Dawn whirled around. For a second, she couldn't speak, and she simply pointed dumbly towards the blocked entrance, wondering why no one was trying to re-open it. "Spike's in there!" she finally cried, a pleading look in her eyes which was replaced by confusion when nobody made a move. "We have to get him out!" she elaborated. Again, nobody moved except Clem, who leant forwards as if to tell Buffy something. "I know he's strong, but that guy in there, he's like half-vampire, half-something else! He'll kill him!" Dawn screeched, stopping the demon from informing the Slayer that it was now eight o'clock. "So?" Buffy shrugged, her voice tight with emotion. "What do I care?" Xander apprehended Dawn's total shocked outcry, and decided to just explain why Buffy was acting like she was. "Dawn, he's got the chip out." he told her in his most level tone. "Spike's made a truce with Willow. They were going to kill everyone tonight." For a moment, her young face was expressionless, but then it was filled with so many emotions, it was hard to count. She couldn't believe it - didn't believe it. "No, he saved me," she told them, not willing to accept that he would ever try to hurt her. "He came and he saved me, and no one even cares?" Tears began to stream down her cheeks. "This is Spike we're talking about! He would never hurt me!" There was a hint of a question in her voice which was heartbreaking to hear. Everyone knew how much affection she felt for the vampire. "Look, he betrayed me - again," Buffy told her in the sternest voice she could manage to put on over her devastation. "And we aren't going in there to save him!" Clem leant forwards again. "Actually, you may be right," he informed her, and motioned to behind them all where, stood proudly on the bottom steps they had just come down, was Willow.  
  
It immediately became clear to Spike when he and his Childe had begun to fight that there was something different about him. He was finding it difficult, and he had just gotten back from that hell in Africa all revitalised and full of neat new tricks in the art of fighting. But the way Gabriel was fighting, whilst still in the style he had been taught, was amazing. He blocked everything Spike threw at him, except for a few choice roundhouse kicks, and came right back at him. "This isn't how I taught y' to fight." Spike grunted just as a punch connected with his face, almost complaining about the fact. Gabriel laughed. "Oh, did I forget to tell you?" He taunted, blocking Spike's response to his punch easily. "Had myself a little encounter with a Brukjat." On cue, he slid into his own special game-face, and watched in amusement as his Sire recoiled, a look of shock on his face. "Bloody hell," Spike muttered, glad for a break in the fight so he could have time to think of a new plan of attack. Brute force obviously wasn't going to get it done, so he would have to resort to Angel's stlye; all full of the fancy moves and that. "When did that happen, then?" "Do you care?" Gabriel sneered, the bitterness back in full force when he spoke. "Honestly?" His Sire took a step forwards and took another survey of his surroundings. "Not in the slightest." With a grunt of exertion, he leapt up to grab an overhanging bar and used it to propel his feet into Gabriel's stunned face. The blow sent the other vampire staggering backwards until he fell against the furthest wall, his nose bleeding and a look of disbelief on his now throbbing features. "You'll pay for that." he growled, beginning to stalk forwards again.  
  
"Good line," Spike commented dryly, the sarcasm obvious. "Not at all cliched." That was then a single hit from Gabriel left him on the floor, struggling for consciousness. Bugger. 


End file.
